I. Field of the Present Invention
The present invention relates generally to electrical transformer apparatus having a primary winding, a secondary winding and a core, and more particularly, to such a device in which appropriate passages are formed so that a fluid coolant can be circulated through the device to remove heat from the transformer.
II. Description of the Prior Art
In a transformer in which the primary winding and secondary winding are coupled by a core of magnetic material, a large amount of heat can be generated during operation of the device. Often, the heat is dissipated by exposing the transformer in an open area so that the heat can be radiated away from the device. On the other hand, such a method of cooling the transformer is often insufficient to dissipate the large amount of heat from the transformer, especially when the transformer is enclosed within a machine housing. Accordingly, it becomes necessary to provide the device with supplemental cooling means in order to prevent malfunctioning and destruction of the transformer components.
One previously known means for cooling the transformer involves the use of cooling conduits wrapped around or through the device so that a cooling fluid can be circulated about the device to absorb the heat and release it at a point remote from the transformer. Alternatively, it may be possible to provide fluid passageways adjacent to the core in order to effect the cooling of the transformer. However, the cooling passages or conduits are often disposed apart from the windings of the transformer so that they do not interfere with the operation of the transformer. Thus, the heat is absorbed only after it has been conducted through a portion of the device and does not, therefore, eliminate areas of extremely high heat content at the windings where the heat may be generated. Accordingly, the windings may still be subjected to a large amount of heat and high temperatures which can cause fatigue and destruction of the windings. Moreover, the addition of fluid conduits to a transformer increase the weight and complexity of the device and are, therefore, more costly to produce. In addition, when the cooling system is separately fabricated, additional time and labor is necessary to install the cooling system on the tansformer, and therefore, further increases the cost and complexity of the device.